ECOWAS launches regional push for women’s political parity and youth entrepreneurship in West Africa

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set a 2035 deadline to achieve gender parity in political leadership across the sub‑region. At a forum in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman‑Ibrahim announced reforms, including a review of the Special Reserved Seats Bill and the Abuja Action Agenda, to remove barriers and increase women’s representation in elected offices.

On 31 July 2026 in Dakar, ECOWAS officially launched the Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Program (EYWEP). Backed by AUDA‑NEPAD and Spain’s AECID, the initiative will provide capacity‑building, mentoring, networking and financing to young and women entrepreneurs in pilot countries, aiming to create jobs, boost inclusive growth and advance the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063.